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external competitions

These are the competitions we will invite you to submit work for. Some competitions are open to Individual Entries which you choose yourself. Club Entries are chosen by a Selection Committee dawn from the club's own team of PAGB/SPF qualified judges and/or MPAGB/FRPS award holders.

Also likely to be present are our Projectionist and the External Competition Secretaries who organise the entries.

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1. THE PAGB (UK) INTER-CLUB PRINT CHAMPIONSHIP
Ormskirk, Lancashire, in October each year although we are planning before the season starts!

It is unfortunate that the most important external competition in our calendar comes so early in the season. Only the top 2 SPF clubs are chosen to represent Scotland plus any who made the UK final last year. So far we have never failed to qualify! A selection committee chooses our very best 40 prints to take to the event and they need to see ALL of your best prints. Only a few are allowed per photographer and we need to spread the net wide!

Simon Allen & John McVie are in charge of this one and WILL ASK FOR YOUR BEST PRINTS TO CHOOSE FROM IN SEPTEMBER

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2. THE SPF (SCOTTISH) INTER-CLUB PDI CHAMPIONSHIP
A similar competition to the SPF Print Championship but for Projected Digital Images. Usually held in November.

Ian Findlay co-ordinates this and a small selection committee will choose the entry. WE HAVE ALL THE PDIs YOU HAVE ENTERED IN CLUB COMPETITIONS safely stored on our club laptop - we may give you the opportunity to offer more for us to choose from.

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3. THE GB CUP
A selection committee chooses the PDIs to represent us in the Open and Nature Competition in February.

Ian Findlay & Mick Durham will organise this and WE HAVE ALL THE PDIs YOU HAVE ENTERED IN CLUB COMPETITIONS safely stored on our club laptop - we may give you the opportunity to offer more for us to choose from.

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4. THE SPF (SCOTTISH) INTER-CLUB PRINT CHAMPIONSHIP
The SPF Print Championship is now held in February each year. We normally have to be first or second to secure our place at Connahâ€™s Quay. You enter this as an individual and, however many we enter, the highest scoring are added up to decide the winning club. It is important that you send your VERY BEST prints! Although you choose your own entry and take part as an individual we collect the entries and send them in the same box.

Simon Allen & John McVie co-ordinate this one too and WILL INVITE YOU IN JANUARY TO GIVE UP YOUR BEST PRINTS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL ENTRY.

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5. SPF ANNUAL PORTFOLIO COMPETITION
In April each year we are invited to enter as a club to the Portfolio Competition. A selection committee chooses a small number of prints and PDIs to form the Club entry. You may also enter as an individual and are eligible to win the Individual Medals. The SPF chooses the Scottish entry to the PAGB Inter-Federation Competition and our entry to the Celtic Challenge from the Portfolio entries. Sometimes they will ask for extra pictures and extra copies so that they can enter both of these.

Ian Findlay & John McVie co-ordinate this one. IN APRIL THEY WILL INVITE YOU TO GIVE US YOUR PRINTS AND PDI - YOU ENTER AS AN INDIVIDUAL BUT WE SEND IT ALL IN THE SAME BOX. Usually you can nominate prints handed in for our annual competition.

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6. NCPF (Northern Counties) ANNUAL PORTFOLIO COMPETITION
Dumfries CC is also affiliated to the Northern Counties and we usually enter their equivalent of the Portfolio Competition. They may not use our work for PAGB Competitions. We suggest you send the best to the SPF Portfolio or, if you make extra Prints and PDI, you can send the same pictures to both.

Ian Findlay & John McVie gather in prints and PDI for this one as the entry forms have to be sent in as a group entry and the file names on the PDI have to be coded and entered on the forms in the same order as the CD. Labels must be down loaded and put on the back of prints. THEY WILL INVITE YOU TO GIVE US YOUR PRINTS AND PDI.

Any club member may submit up to 3 entries into each Open Section (PDI, Colour Slides, Monochrome Prints and Colour Prints). A Beginner may submit up to 2 entries in each of the two Beginners Competition; namely Projected Images and Prints (including Colour and Monochrome) and can also enter different images into the Open Classes so long as the combined entry for any Section does not exceed three.

The winner of the Club Competitions; namely the Corder Trophy (Monochrome Prints) the Bewick Trophy (Colour Prints) the Galloway Rose Bowl (Colour Slides) and the Myles Audas Memorial (PDI) trophy will be decided by the total of the six top marked images in each section subject to having no more than 2 images from any one worker.

(Don't confuse this with the Northern Counties International Exhibition - see International Exhibitions)

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7. THE PAGB (UK) INTER-CLUB PDI CHAMPIONSHIP
Warwick University each year, usually in June. We have to be first or second in the SPF PDI Championship to secure our place. A selection committee chooses 40 PDIs to represent us.

WE HAVE ALL THE PDIs YOU HAVE ENTERED IN CLUB COMPETITIONS safely stored on our club laptop but we may give you the opportunity to offer more for us to choose from.

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8. WESTERN AREA BATTLE
This is an Inter-Club print and PDI competition between the, mostly, Cumbrian Clubs who form the NCPF Western Area. We are Western Area members and take part. We don't quite dominate this event as we used to but still win now and then. A selection of prints and PDI images are selected out of prints that are usually in the hands of the external secretary and on the lap top at the time before they are returned to the authors. E.G. from Edinburgh, the Portfolios, the first monthly and anything not going to Connah's Quay. One image has been entered from 12 authors or as near as possible in recent years.

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9. BORDER CHALLENGE
The Border Digital Challenge is entered and organised by those who wish to attend the event. The External PDI Secretary can assist in the choosing of a Club entry and will also help in the paper work required to enter. The images can be submitted by members attending and can also be pulled from the DCC PDI image bank (archive of successful past and present PDI club competition images). We would hope to choose 1 image from each author attending, choosing out of the image bank to make up the total entry. Border Clubs are mostly not affiliated to the Scottish Federation (SPF).

It can seem very informal to the casual observer but the External competition secretaries (Print: John McVie EFIAP DPAGB, PDI: Ian Findlay DPAGB) will gather a selection committee for each event. The pool for a selection committee can be any member from DPAGB level or above and/or is already a qualified club judge. For less informal competition, we would encourage the organiser or participating member/s to be involved in the image selection.

NATIONAL COMPETITIONS

Dumfries Camera Club is one of the most successful National Competition Clubs in the UK and for these competitions we have to enter the very best pictures we have. We use our most experienced and successful exhibitors, most of whom are PAGB listed judges themselves. Competitions include:

PAGB Inter-Club PDI Championship, usually in Warwick in July each year
PAGB Inter-Club Print Championship, in Chorley in 2016 in November
SPF PDI Championship, at Stirling in November
FIAP World Cup, although we haven’t entered for several years.
GB Cups (PDI) and GB Trophy (Prints).

DOMESTIC COMPETITIONS

These competitions allow us to use a much wider range of members’ work and usually we try and choose images from anyone who is interested in attending and taking part.

D&G Inter-Club Championship, usually chosen fairly informally by the External PDI Competition Secretary, calling on whoever he likes for advice and aiming for not more than one entry per member.

NCPF Western Area Battle, usually chosen fairly informally by the External Print Competition Secretary, calling on whoever he likes for advice and aiming for not more than one entry per member.

Border Digital Challenge, anyone wishing to attend can be put in charge and is guaranteed at least one picture in the entry. We encourage as many members as possible to be represented in the entry. Cancelled in 2016.

COMPETITIONS WITH INDIVIDUAL ENTRY - but entered as a Club.

Scottish Inter-Club Print Championship - this is very important to us and members are encouraged to enter their best stuff. The External Print Competition Secretary organises our entry and (although is restricted to a maximum number of entries allowed) will try and include a broad representation from all members who wish to submit images.

SPF Annual Portfolio competition for Print and PDI - This is entirely open to individual entry although there are awards for the top clubs in each section. For this reason members are asked to submit their best work in that season, particularly as these competitions are also used for selecting the SPF entry to the PAGB Inter-Federation Portfolios.

Scottish Salon of Photography - Again entirely open to individual entry in each Print and PDI section although there is an award for the top Scottish clubs. Those entering are also encouraged to have their prints only forwarded to the Edinburgh International Salon.

NCPF (Northern Counties Photographic Federation) Annual Competitions - This is also entirely open to individual entry although there are awards for the top clubs in each section.